Mark McDermott was honored by the Iowa Football Coaches Association as one of 16 assistant coaches of the year.

McDermott, an assistant on the St. Edmond staff under Matt Dillon, works with the defense for the Gaels. This past season, they went 4-4, including a victory over eight-player state champion Bishop Garrigan.

“I’m humbled by the recognition as an assistant coach of the year for eight-person football,” McDermott said. “I’m thankful for the family of coaches at St. Edmond as it’s an outstanding place to work.”

McDermott has previously coached at North Polk, Johnston, Boone and ACGC. He joined the Gael staff in 2021 and also works at the school as a high school math teacher.

“My coaching tenure has ironically come full circle with Matt Dillon being my first and current head coach,” he said. “I will always be grateful for him believing in my coaching abilities.”

Bedford’s Greg Sleep was also recognized from eight-player.

Marty Wadle was honored as the coach of the year after leading the Golden Bears to the eight-player state title this past fall. Wadle led Bishop Garrigan to 12 consecutive wins, including a 39-30 victory in the finals over Bedford.

Don Anderson, a native of Dows who made a stop at Rockwell City-Lytton during his coaching career, was named the 2024 Walt Fiegel Award Winner. Anderson, a graduate of Iowa Central and Northwest Missouri State University, has had teams qualify for state in four different classes.

The award is named for Walt Fiegel, who was a football coach at Sioux City East and also served as the executive secretary for the IFCA for 17 years. The award recognizes a person who embodies the high character, integrity, concern for kids and service to the profession that were evident during Fiegel’s career.